University of Virginia Library

Justice Officials Visit
Universities This Fall

By Barry Levine
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Justice Department officials, possibly
Attorney General John N. Mitchell, will
visit the University in a few weeks.

In an effort to improve conditions
between students and the department,
similar visits will be made to over 50
campuses in October and November. The
list includes several that have experienced
violent outbreaks, such as Stanford
University, Ohio State University, and
Yale University.

Notably absent are the University of
California at Berkeley, the University of
Michigan, Harvard University, Columbia
University, the University of Wisconsin,
Kent State University in Ohio and
Jackson State College in Mississippi, all of
which have become violence-prone in recent
months.

The program was decided upon several
weeks ago when top officials in the department,
as a result of private meetings with students and
faculty, became aware of a lack of
understanding of the role of the federal
government on the campuses and throughout
the nation.

The Attorney General, Deputy Attorney
General Richard G. Kleindienst, Solicitor
General Erwin Griswold, various assistant
attorneys general, and Donald Santarelli, who is
an associate deputy attorney general and a
newly-appointed member of the University's
Board of Visitors, are among those who will
make the visits.

In a letter to the presidents of the colleges
and universities, Mr. Mitchell outlines the
objectives of the project. "As you know," the
letter reads, "the Justice Department's areas of
responsibility — such as law enforcement, civil
rights and environmental quality — are also
subjects of deep interest to many younger
Americans.

"For that reason," it continued, "we are
planning a series of visits to representative
campuses in which top officials of the
department can meet informally with interested
students in whatever forum you deem
appropriate, and answer questions about the
department's policies and programs."

Administration officials at the University
could not be reached yesterday to detail the
program format, although Kevin Mannix,
president of the Student Council, has learned
that the arrangements will be made by the
Office of Student Affairs in conjunction with
the Council.